Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 21: Up in arms against `objectionable’ name given to Cable Car Project in Jammu, National Panthers Student Union held a protest demonstration in front of the Jammu University Main Gate, here today.
The protesting NPSU activists raised slogans against the State Government for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Jammuites. They also torched an effigy of the State Government.
The protest was led by Th Virender Singh, State president of NPSU, who warned a mass agitation against the State Government if the Cable Car project is not re-christened. “This is really a matter of great concern that a cable project, which is going to be established at Jammu and supposed to be centre of attraction of Jammu Pradesh, has been given name after a street. Since the project is going to connect pilgrims visiting “Bawe Wali Mata” and “Bagh-e Bhau”, it should have more appropriate is it is named after Bawe or Bahu,” he said.
The NPSU leader alleged that the Government move smacks of a conspiracy to suppress the history of Dogras, which shall not be tolerated by entire Dogra community. “This move of Government is nothing but a provocative attempt by the BJP-PDP Government to hurt the religious sentiments of Jammuites and this is high time when we all Jammuites should oppose the move tooth and nail,” he added.
Singh also asked the ruling BJP to clear its stand on the issue
Others, who addressed the protest demonstration, included Lovely Singh, Lucky Chib, Chetan Sharma, Baldev Singh, Sumit Singh and Shubam Jasrotia.
Meanwhile, JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma has also strongly reacted to the reports in the media about the change in the nomenclature of Bahu Fort Cable Car Project and suspected it a deliberate attempt to foment trouble on the eve of Shri Amarnath ji Yatra.
In a statement, Ravinder Sharma strongly condemned the attempts to create controversies by the Government and its agencies by fiddling with the name of historic and heritage sites and places especially having religious sanctity and sentiments attached to them. “In the recent past during the present dispensation of PDP- BJP, there was another controversy with regard to the nomenclature of historic and religious places of “Hari-Parbat” and Shri Shankryacharya in Kashmir, by a State Government department in the official advertisement. Now these reports of repeating the same things with the Bahu fort cable car project is a matter of great concern and a reflection on the working and role of BJP in the Government,” he added.
Meanwhile BJP general secretary Dr Narinder Singh has accused the previous NC and Congress Government of changing the name. He said the previous coalition was responsible for creating a controversy and questioned the NPP leadership that why it maintained a stoic silence at that time and why did not it protest against the same.
He said the tender notice has been cancelled by the authorities and the name figuring in revenue records will only be used in official records also.
Dr Singh said the political parties who have been rejected by the people are now unnecessarily raking up the issue as these were the Congress leaders at that time who changed the name. He said not BJP but Congress is responsible for the same as the Party has betrayed the people of Jammu.
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